Library News: Annandale

1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a reading program designed to increase the awareness of early literacy and to encourage parents to embrace their role as their child's first teacher. Plus there are prizes! The goal of the program is to have parents and caregivers read to their children from the time they are born until they begin school and beyond. This will help their child develop a love for reading and help their child enter school ready to learn.
Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts,...

The Annandale Area Friends of the Library have donated $300 toward the purchase of “We Play Here” kits for use by young library visitors.
GRRL is seeking $3,000 to buy twelve kits. These will be added to the twenty the library previously obtained through a Playful Learning In Libraries mini grant from the Minnesota Department of Education, State Library Services. Once the new kits are bought, the library system will own 32 kits, so each branch in the 32-library system will be able to have...

The Mad Hatter hosted a grand tea party at the Annandale Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 23 to celebrate Alice’s 150th birthday. The White Rabbit, March Hare, Door Mouse and children ages 6-12 were invited to attend the party in Alice’s honor. Everyone came in either their favorite costume or tea attire. After a short performance, children created their own “mad hat” before enjoying tea and treats. The Red Queen led the group in a rousing game of The Queen Says before sending everyone home...

Patrons of the Annandale Public Library are hopeful they will win the MinneSNOWta prize basket. It is filled with wonderful Minnesota products, including syrup and honey produced right in Annandale. Annandale Friends of the Library provided the basket as additional incentive for patrons to take part in Great River Regional Library's annual winter reading program (WRP) which runs Jan. 2-Feb. 29. As of Jan. 12, 100 patrons had registered for the opportunity to win the basket and other great...

The Annandale Friends of the Library are currently collecting clean, gently used items for their annual book sale scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. All money raised from the sale is spent on the Annandale library programs and other library needs. Books, CDs, and DVDs can be dropped off through June 23 during library open hours. To ensure a successful book sale some items cannot be accepted. Items not accepted include magazines, encyclopedia sets, Reader Digest, textbooks...

For six weeks starting Feb. 1, the Annandale Public Library will be participating in a statewide one-book program called Once Upon a Reader. The book selected for the inaugural 2014-2015 Once Upon a Reader program is ‘Moo!’ The book was written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, both Minnesota residents. ‘Moo!’ is the winner of the 2014 Minnesota Book Award in Children’s Literature.
Each week the library will have self-guided programs available for parents and their...

Bruce the Bug Guy will be presenting "The Bug Show" at the Annandale Library on Friday, October 17th from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. The Bug Show is specifically designed to teach young audiences about insects (and related arthropods) in a fun and entertaining way. It's a dynamic blend of Show 'n Tell, storytelling, interesting facts and fun hands-on activities that include live critters from Bruce's arthropod zoo.
Bruce uses an assortment of attention-getting props and images, including preserved...

Paul Spring is a singer and songwriter from St. Cloud. He has released folk-rock albums and a highly reviewed family album that NPR called "an ode to books and stories, and to the families who nurture them."
Paul will be performing at the Annandale Farmers Market on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Bring lawn chairs and the kids to this family concert at the Market. Paul Spring performs concerts that consist of playful and fun folk songs. His family music is interactive, upbeat, and...

Nancy Leasman, author, master gardener and herbalist, along with her husband Ron, introduced the process of making wine vinegar to an audience at the Annandale Public Library. Patrons from several communities came to enjoy a wonderful and informative presentation on making vinegar. Each patron went home with a "starter" to create their own wine vinegar, along with some recipes to try.
Vinegar is not just for salad dressing! It has many culinary and therapeutic uses and is quite easy to make...

At year’s end, a second stained glass window was installed in the children’s area of the Annandale Public Library. After receiving memorial gifts on behalf of long-time Annandale resident Connie Kuehn, who passed away last spring, the Annandale Friends of the Library commissioned Michael’s Stained Glass Studio of St. Cloud to create the window panel in her honor. The scene, which depicts a mother loon and her chick in the foreground with a cozy cabin on the shoreline was one of four designs...